17 Clear Signs You Should Be Dating Your Best Friend

Just because you’ve always just been friends, doesn’t mean you must cross them off the list of potential romantic partners. You might be missing out!
Whether or not we make it a priority, we all go through life trying to find “The One.” For some, the search is harder: going on date after date without making a real connection, or suffering through a string of unsuccessful relationships.
But, if When Harry Met Sally taught us anything, it is that sometimes “The One” is right in front of you. It’s not always about finding someone who is just your type or the person who is the most physically attractive. Sometimes, “The One” is simply finding someone whom you have a true and honest connection with, and someone who loves you just as you are, warts and all. And that someone might just be your best friend, the person who has been there all along.
Could your best friend be “The One”?
Whether or not you have already thought of them in a romantic way, it is worth considering whether there is more to your relationship than you originally thought. Here are 17 signs that your best friend might just be “The One.”
1. Other friends point it out on a regular basis. Those closest to you regularly ask when both of you are getting together, and you’re constantly having to convince them that you are just good friends. They have clearly sensed the chemistry between you and your best friend, even if you haven’t realized it yourselves yet.
2. You’re more than a little touchy feel. Let’s face it, you’re more physical with your best friend than any average couple of BFFs. Your hugs linger, you find yourself playing with your hair when you talk to them, and you regularly break the touch barrier. And on top of that, you often find yourselves bantering or teasing each other in a flirtatious manner.
3. You always agree about important issues. You’ve confided and vented to each other about various different concerns, as best friends do. If you find yourselves agreeing about these issues – especially the dating-related ones, then you are probably a good match!
4. Your day seems incomplete if you haven’t checked in with each other. They are the first person you want to talk to about anything, and you both insist on keeping in constant contact when you are apart.
5. Silences are never awkward. Sure, it’s fun to go out and do things, but you’re more than happy to do nothing together. In fact, you can even sit in silence without it being awkward. You’re just happy in each other’s company.
6. Your interest in each other’s lives goes beyond a personal level. You’re invested in the lives of their other friends and their family as well. You know when their sister has exams or when their mom has an important doctor’s appointment, and you care about the outcome.
7. It’s all smiles and laughter! Whenever you are with them, you are happy and at ease, and everything you do together, whatever it may be, is fun. They can make you laugh and smile, even when you are feeling at your lowest.
8. You’re practically telepathically connected. You finish each other’s sentences, and you know exactly what the other person is thinking or feeling. What’s more, you couldn’t take on life without them supporting you – a little piece of you would be missing.
9. You share their enthusiasm and disappointment for their successes and failures as if they were your own. No feigned happiness or commiseration here. When they’re nervous about their upcoming job interview or exam, you have just as many butterflies in your stomach as they do.
10. You accept them, warts and all. They can be as candid, as comfortable, and as crazy as they like around you, and you still adore them. You know their failures and regrets, and you’re more than happy to accept them regardless.
11. They are your number one topic of conversation. You can’t stop talking about them to your other friends, even when you try not to. You even boast about their achievements and share their amusing anecdotes with the same enthusiasm as if they were your own.
12. There is no need to impress. You don’t feel the need to impress them or to act in a certain way. You can simply be yourself: no makeup, no fancy clothes, no perfectly styled hair. You feel more comfortable around them than with anyone else.
13. They know you from the inside out. They know your worst of habits, your guiltiest of pleasures, and your deepest, darkest secrets. They don’t judge you for them, and they’re just as comfortable sharing their own little secrets with you.
14. You’re prepared to sacrifice your own wants and needs for theirs. You’re willing to do things you know the other person likes, even if you’re not keen on them yourself. You sat by them whilst they embarked on a six-hour marathon of their favorite TV show, and they’d do the same for you.
15. Their family accepts you as one of their own. You already get on with their family, and they would be thrilled if you were dating – and probably wonder why you aren’t already! You’re on a first-name basis with their parents, their mother invites you to Sunday lunch, and you’re expected to attend big family gatherings.
16. Your secrets are safe. You’d trust them with your most precious possessions and your deepest darkest secrets, and they have proven to you that they would guard them with their life. In return, they trust you with theirs, and even the most tempting of bribes wouldn’t force you to reveal them.
17. Appearance isn’t a number one priority. They don’t mind when you’re wearing your most embarrassing pajamas and a tatty old t-shirt, but they point out when they think you look nice and notice when you have made a special effort with your appearance. You, on the other hand, would be fine with seeing them in the same unkempt state, but you wouldn’t hesitate to compliment them when they’re all gushed up.
Just a word of advice on dating your best friend: It can be next to impossible to go back to the way you used to be if dating them doesn’t work out. However, knowing that you’ll be dating someone whom you trust wholeheartedly can certainly make it seem like a worthy endeavor despite the risks.

Mustapha Afeez Olasunkanmi is a trained broadcast journalist with a special love for writing. His passion is to become a renowned writer and broadcaster within the shortest time possible. He has written a good number of articles, hosted a few online tv programmes and is the current Brands & Products editor at NAIJAHITZ MEDIA CONSULT.